Garrett Gerloff sealed his first professional motorcycle road racing Championship by winning the Dynojet Pro Sportbike race at the Arai Mountain Nationals, the finale of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha, Sunday at Miller Motorsports Park.
Gerloff passed his Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha teammate JD Beach on the opening lap and pulled away to win the 20-lap event by over 13 seconds on his YZF-R6.
Beach converted his first front-row start in the series into his first podium finish in the series by holding onto second place. Beach’s consistent finishes in the three rounds netted him third in the Championship.
Bobby Fong came into the final race tied for the Championship point lead with Gerloff, but the Latus Motors Racing Triumph rider had a rough day. First, he and Benny Solis, Jr. collided on lap two. Solis crashed, and Fong was forced wide, losing time to Gerloff and Beach. Then Fong’s Daytona 675R started running roughly, but he soldiered on to finish third in the race and second in the Championship.
Jake Zemke got a good start and was running consistent laps on his GEICO Honda CBR600RR, but he was caught and passed by Fong at the halfway point of the 20-lap race. From there, Zemke rode to a lonely fourth-place finish.
A crash in qualifying caused Chad Lewin to start from the last spot on the grid, but the Californian charged throughout the race and worked his way up to fifth on his CM Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6.
Bryce Prince qualified ninth and battled up to place sixth on his Tuned Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. ACT Racing’s Ryan Matter held off Lewin’s 17-year-old teammate Michael Gilbert by 0.153 second for seventh. Prince’s 17-year-old teammate Jason Aguilar crossed the finish line right behind Gilbert in ninth. Local rider Mark Harper rounded out the top 10 on his Rhino Rush Energy Triumph Daytona 675R.
Arai Mountain Nationals Hosted by UtahSBA/GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha
Miller Motorsports Park West Course
Tooele, Utah
May 25, 2014
Dynojet Pro Sportbike Provisional Race Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Garrett Gerloff (Yam YZF-R6), 20 laps, 30:19.863
2. JD Beach (Yam YZF-R6), -13.469 seconds
3. Bobby Fong (Tri Daytona 675R), -23.320
4. Jake Zemke (Hon CBR600RR), -30.228
5. Chad Lewin (Yam YZF-R6), -35.088
6. Bryce Prince (Yam YZF-R6), -43.011
7. Ryan Matter (Yam YZF-R6), -44.170
8. Michael Gilbert (Yam YZF-R6), -44.323
9. Jason Aguilar (Yam YZF-R6), -45.610
10. Mark Harper (Tri Daytona 675R), -89.775
11. Shannon Moham (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap
12. Brian Childree (Hon CBR600RR), -1 lap
13. Joshua Picard (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap
14. Patricia Fernandez (Yam YZF-R6), -1 lap
15. Joe Roberts (Hon CBR600RR), -9 laps, DNF, mechanical
16. Danielle Diaz (Kaw ZX-6R), -11 laps, DNF, retired
17. Benny Solis, Jr. (Yam YZF-R6), -19 laps, DNF, crash
18. Chad Swain (Yam YZF-R6), DNS
19. Kyle Wyman (Yam YZF-R6), DNS
Provisional Championship Standings (after 3 of 3 races):
1. Gerloff, 70 points
2. Fong, 61
3. Beach, 44
4. Lewin, 32
5. Prince, 26
6. Zemke, 26
7. Gilbert, 24
8. Solis, 16
9. Aguilar, 15
10. TIE, Roberts/Tom Montano, 9
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Tandem In Tooele As Garrett Gerloff Wins Pro Sportbike Championship With A Race Win At Miller Motorsports Park; Teammate JD Beach Finishes Second In Race, Third In Championship
Tooele, UT – May 25, 2014 – They say you never forget your first professional championship, and for Yamaha Extended Service/Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha rider Garrett Gerloff, his first Pro Sportbike title came at the young age of 18. Garrett won today’s 20-lap race at Miller Motorsports Park in dominant fashion, stretching out a lead of more than 11 seconds by the time he took the checkered flag to wrap up the Pro Sportbike Championship in the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented By Yamaha.
Garrett’s teammate JD Beach had his best finish of the Superbike Shootout series. He got a great start off the front row of the grid and led for part of the first lap until Garrett passed him. JD remained safely in second place for the remainder of the race.
After the win and wrapping up the championship, Garrett said, “I thought I got a good jump at the start, but JD got by me on the first lap. I really wanted this championship, and I worked hard to build a lead so that I didn’t have to fight so hard towards the end of the race. I’m excited to win my first pro national championship for my team. They’ve worked tirelessly to give me the best bike out there.”
“Race starts have always been a strong point for me because of my dirt track background where the starts are critical,” JD commented. “I knew that Garrett was going to be fast, so I knew I needed to get a good start and try to stay up front. Garrett got past me, and I just tried to stay with him as best I could. To finish second is a great feeling, and I have to thank my team so much for all their hard work.”
Next weekend, the Y.E.S./Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team will be back in action as the AMA Pro Road Racing season resumes with the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Tune In To MAVTV For The Pro Sportbike and Pro Superbike Races
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For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, check out: www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racingor your favorite Yamaha social media channel.
More, from a press release issued by Geiger Global Media:
GEICO pro Zemke has best outing of season at Arai Mountain Nationals
TOOELE, Utah (May 25) — Although he described it as a ” lonely day” on his GEICO Motorcycle Honda CBR600, star rider Jake Zemke was pleased with his season-best fourth-place result in the final leg of the GEICO Superbike Shootout, held Sunday at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City.
Aside from the start where he expertly jumped from the second row to third place, Zemke hardly saw another rider during the race. The front-runners simply spread out across the 2.2-mile West Course and rode out the 20-lap race.
“Bobby Fong was the only rider I saw, really,” Zemke said. “He ran into the back of a rider at the start and sat up like something maybe was wrong with his bike. He must have dropped way back at that point because I didn’t see him, or anyone really, until Bobby passed me (on Lap 9). That was all the excitement I had.
“To have the bike perform like it did is very encouraging. We definitely feel as though we’ve closed the gap on the guys that have been ahead of us, and that’s a real testament to the crew and this team. It’s satisfying as a rider to reward the crew guys with a strong race because they do the same amount of work, if not more, when we don’t do so well as when we do, so this is for them.”
The uptick in performance is coming at the perfect time for Zemke as the road racing tour immediately shifts to historic Road America next weekend. Pointing to Sunday’s result as a highlight, Zemke said the three-race GEICO Superbike Shootout was a hit for many reasons.
“First and foremost, it gave us a chance to race out west with this huge core of motorcycle racing fans out here,” Zemke said. “It also filled the gap between Daytona and the rest of the AMA Pro schedule. Most importantly, we were able to work on this bike in real race conditions and make it better. And I always love racing close to home (San Luis Obispo area). I’ll be home tonight!”
More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer:
MISFORTUNE FOR ROBERTS IN UTAH
For the second time in as many races, Team Hammer and Joe Roberts showed tremendous potential but were ultimately unable to capitalize on that speed in the form of results.
Despite a painful crash in Saturday’s qualifying session,the M4 SportbikeTrackGear.com Racing pilot fought his way into the top five of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented By Yamaha finale aboard his Honda CBR600RR at Miller Motorsports Park today in Toole Valley, UT.
Unfortunately, the 16-year-old would see his day endprematurely just past half distance of the 20-lap Dynojet Pro Sportbike contestafter encountering difficulties while holding down fifth position.
“Our weekend didn’t go to plan,” said Roberts. “My finger still bothered me but I wanted to do well in the race. I didn’t get a good start and I was in sixth. It took me a while to get by that rider and by the time I did, the leaders were gone. I was battling for fifth and felt like I could take that position as well when we had a bike issue. I couldn’t continue and had to pull into the pits.”
Roberts and his Team Hammer crew won’t have to stew long over this one as they’ll be back in action next weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin when the AMA Pro Road Racing championship resumes for Round 2 of the 2014 season.
About Team Hammer: In 2014, Team Hammer, Inc. is competing in its 34th consecutive racing season, and is marking its eighth year of offering technical and logistical support through its Contract Services Department. Riders on Team Hammer-prepared racebikes have earned 59 AMA Pro National race wins; 135 AMA Pro National podium finishes; 5 AMA Pro Championships; 133 Overall National Endurance race wins; 13 National Endurance Championships and assorted other race wins and titles.